i 1 

143 
spy 1 



PROCEEDINGS 



ON THE OCCASION OF 



LAYING THE] CORNE]K-ST()NE 



NEW HALL 



^Hass.^ivchu^rtt.si §iovti^uUuval J'O^icty, 



A U Ci U S T 1 s< . 1 8 G 4 . 




BOSTON: 

HENRY W. DUTTON & SON, PRINTEHS, 
90 AND 92 Washington Street. 

1804. 



PROCEEDINGS 



ON THE OCCASION OF 



LAYING THE CORNER-STONE 



NEW HALL 



Pn!5S!Ssadut^rtt«3i §i0fticuUuml ^mtty, 



AXJCIUST 18, 18G4. 




BOSTON: 

HENRY W. BUTTON & SON, PRINTERS, 
90 AND 92 Washington Street. 

1864. 



M 



^la$,s;arlui!Siftt.si iiorticwlturnl ^oxifty,. 



At an adjourned meetlnj^ of the Massacluisetts Horticultural 
Society, lield at their rooms, Saturday, September 3, the follow- 
ing votes were unanimously passed : 

That the thanks of the Society be tendered to the President,, 
for his very Interesting and felicitous address delivered at the 
laying of the Corner-Stone, and that a copy be requested for 
publication. 

That the thanks of the Society be presented to the Rev. Dr. 
LoTHROP, for his services at the ceremony of laying the Corner- 
Stone. 

That the Committee of Publication be authorized to publish, 
for distribution among the members, the address delivered by 
the President, C. M. Hovey, at the laying of the Corner-Stone 
of Horticultural Hall, on the 18th of August last, together 
with a detailed account of the ceremonies on that occasion. 

C. M. HOVEY, President.. 
F. LYMAN WINSHH\ Secretary. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



The Corner-Stone of the New Hull of the Massachusetts 
Horticultural Society was laid on the 18th of August, 1864. 

At a Special Meeting of the Society, called on the 13th day 
of August, at the Rooms in Amory Hall, the President stated 
that the work of building the new Hall had so far progressed 
as to be in readiness for laying the Corner-Stone. 

He remarked that the magnitude of the building was such, 
that It was deemed proper to observe the occasion in a manner 
commensurate with the importance of the work ; and, although 
it was not the desire of the Building Committee, or he pre- 
sumed of the Society, to make any ostentatious display, yet it 
was thought some notice should be taken of such an event, and 
that the Corner-Stone should be laid with such ceremonies as 
were deemed appropriate. It remained for the Society to take 
such measures as Avould render the occasion interesting to the 
members and creditable to the association. 

On motion of G. W. Pratt, Esq., it was voted that a Com- 
mittee of ten be appointed by the President, with full power 
to make all necessary arrangements thought proper for the 
occasion, and the following gentlemen were appointed the Com- 
mittee : 

Geo. W. Pratt, 

S. H. GiBBENS, 

W. H. Spooner, Jr., 
William Gray, Jr., 

C. H. B. Breck, 

F. Lyman Winship, 

J. C. HOVEY, 

D. T. Curtis, 

E. W. Bus^yELL, 

R. McCleary Copeland. 



Agreeably to the arrangements made by the Committee, the 
members of the Society, with His Honor Mayor Lincoln, 
the members of various kindred societies, and other invited 
guests assembled at the Rooms of the Society, in Amory Hall, 
at the corner of West and Washington Streets, at 9 o'clock, 
A. M., on the 18th of August. The meeting was opened by 
the President, who stated its objects and requested those present 
to form in procession in the Hall, and thence under the marshal- 
ship of Samuel Hatch, Esq., proceed to the site of the build- 
ing, at the corner of Ti'emont and Bromfield Streets. The 
Order of Procession was as follows : 

Detachment of Police. 

Chief Marshal. 

Brigade Band. 

Committee of Arrangements. 

President of the Society and Chaplain, 

His Honor the Mayor, and Members of the City Government, 

Buildino,' Committee. 
Stewards bearing the Boxes and Documents for deposit Ijeneatli 

the Stone. 

Architects of the Buildincr. 

Past Officers of the Society. 

Invited Guests. 

Members of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics^ Association. 

Members of the Natural History Society. 

Trustees of Mount Auburn Cemetery. 

Members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 

Members of the Institute of Technology. 

Trustees of the Public Libraiy. 

Members of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. 

Members of the Boston Numismatic Society. 

Members of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 

The Procession proceeded up West Street, through Tremont 
Street Mall and Tremont Street, to the site of the new building. 



6 



and formed upon the platform, a raised dais being erected for 
the President, Chaplain, and invited guests. After Music by 
the Band, the folloAving Address was delivered by the President 
of the Society. 



ADDRESS. 

DELIVERED BY C. K. KOVEY, ESQ., PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. 



Gentlemen of the 

Massachusetts Horticultural Society : 

We are assembled here to-day, agreeably to your direc- 
tion, to take the first formal step towards the erection of a 
building for the use of the Society, to more effectually 
carry out its purposes of " encouraging and improving the 
science and practice of Horticulture, promoting the ameli- 
oration of the various species of trees, fruits, plants, and 
vegetables, and the introduction of new species and varie- 
ties." 

Such were the original objects of the Society, as named 
in the act of incorporation, and such, I am happy to say, 
they liave always been, and I doubt not, ever will be, as 
long as this beautiful edifice you are about to erect shall 
endure. 

This is the second time that you have, in the course of 
your organization, erected a building for the Society. It 
will be just twenty years, on the 14th of September next, 
since the Corner-Stone of Horticultural Hall in School 
Street, erected on the site of the old Latin school-house, 
was laid by your late President, the Hon. Marshall P. 



8 

Wilder, now prevented from uniting in these ceremonies 
by long continued illness. It was the only important act 
of the Society since its foundation in which I have not 
been present or taken a part; but absence abroad prevent- 
ed me from witnessing the services on that interesting 
occasion; and T esteem it a source of the highest gratifi- 
cation that, through your continued kindness and great 
confidence, I have now the honor not only to be present 
with you, but to take so prominent a part in laying the 
corner-stone of another and more magnificent structure, 
which will undoubtedly be the home of the Society long 
after we and many succeeding generations have passed 
away. 

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society was organized 
February 24th and incorporated June 12th, 1829, and it 
is highly gratifying to me, and I doubt not to every mem- 
ber, to recognize among those who are assembled here to- 
day, gentlemen whose names are borne upon the charter, 
and many others who were prominent and active members 
the first year of its organization. Though thirty-five 
years have glided away, and age may have lessened their 
active labors, it has not checked their enthusiasm, dimin- 
ished their zeal, or lessened their devotion to the interests 
of a pursuit which, in their younger days, was a source of 
instructive occupation and pleasure, and which now amuses 
and solaces their declining years. 

It would scarcely be possible, should I make the at- 
tempt, in these brief remarks, to recount the progress of 



9 

the Society, from its small beginning in State Street, up to 
that period when the old hall in School Street was erected, 
since which time its history is more familiar; but I should 
be recreant to duty did I not, standing on these solid foun- 
dations, refer to one who did more than all others to place 
the society in its present flourishing condition, and enable 
it now to undertake the building of an edifice of such 
magnitude and architectural beauty. Need I say I refer to 
the late General Dearborn ? Without detracting in the 
least from the labors of a band of intelligent and distin- 
guished men, who were pioneers in the enterprise, it is not 
too much to say that to him are we indebted for that 
"sacred garden of the dead," Mount Auburn Cemetery, 
and the consequent results from his plan of an experi- 
mental garden. His enlarged knowledge, hberal views, 
accomplished mind, practical skill, and elevated character, 
alone carried the project through. His pen was never idle 
in gathering facts and writing reports to show the under- 
taking a safe one, and the objects to be attained worthy 
the consideration of the whole community. By the happy 
combination of an experimental garden and cemetery, hor- 
ticulture was to be recognized as an art and science, and 
the dead removed to secluded and shady groves, away from 
the busy marts of crowded cities; and though a combina- 
tion of circumstances changed a part of his favorite 
scheme, it is undoubtedly owing to its failure that we are 
indebted for the means to erect this Temple, no less calcu- 
lated " to foster and extend a taste for the pleasant, useful. 



]0 

and refined art of gardening." We love and revere the 
name of such a noble man : we shall never forget his un- 
selfish labors, and, -when our edifice is completed, it will, I 
am sure, be the hope that his statue may have a prominent 
place within it. But whether statue or bust shall ever 
grace our hall, this building will be the enduring memo- 
rial of his genius and services, and his name will be held 
in grateful remembrance by a thousand generations. 

But it is since the completion of the former hall that 
the progress of the Society has been more rapid, and its 
influence felt throughout the entire country. New life and 
fresh vitality were infused into the Society. It had the 
sympathy, as it had the substantial aid, of the public. It 
was appreciated as its founders intended it should be. Its 
objects seemed all at once to become apparent. It encour- 
aged and promoted the science and practice of horticult- 
ure ; — it stimulated the production and introduction of 
new flowers, fruits, trees, and plants; — it rewarded the 
cultivator for the best specimens of his skill ; — it gathered 
together, for the use of the members, a library of the 
most celebrated English and French works on garden- 
ing; — it made known through its weekly and annual exhi- 
bitions all the choicer productions of the garden, the 
orchard, and the greenhouse; — it awakened a taste for 
ornamental and landscape art, and it disseminated through 
its annual reports a vast fund of information upon every 
branch of horticulture. 



11 

Who does not see, in whatever direction he may turn, 
the results of the influence which has gone out from the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society ? Beautiful villas en- 
rich and embellish all parts of the country; suburban gar- 
dens of greater or less extent give a cheerful and pictu- 
resque aspect to our towns and villages; and even the little 
gardens and city lots denote some unseen influence which 
has changed these weedy and neglected places into verdant 
and fertile spots. \Yho will compare the rural aspect of 
the country thirty-flve years ago with its present appear- 
ance, and say the Massachusetts Horticultural Society has 
wasted the resources witli which a liberal public have in 
part endowed it, for objects so beneficent, and for purposes 
which confer both individual comfort and happiness upon 
the people. 

Thanks to the generous men of Boston, that after they 
had witnessed our good stewardship, they reposed every 
confidence in us, and came forward liberally with their aid, 
determined that no loss should come from an enterprise 
then deemed liazardous for our means. Yes, gentlemen, 
we were the owners of a new hall, but beyond that we had 
but little to accomplish the great objects in view, namely, 
to create a laudable competition by the offer and distribu- 
tion of liberal prizes, and tluis attract the people to see 
the superior specimens which the skill of our cultivators 
could produce. We had not, fortunately, any occasion to 
wait; and I deem this a most fitting opportunity to allude 
to their liberal acts. Few of the large number of mem- 



12 

bers, who have recently joined us, know by what means 
we have reached our present prosperity, and, if they did, 
we should be ungrateful were we to forget those among 
the dead, or those among the living, to whom we are 
indebted for aid to more effectually carry forward the great 
objects of our association. 

This building, it is true, is erected by the funds of the 
Society principally received from our interest in Mount 
Auburn Cemetery. This beautiful location, however, was 
only secured by the most persevering efforts of the com- 
mittee appointed for that purpose, who believed it pos- 
sessed all the facilities the Society required, and was just 
within the means of the Society to purchase. Two years 
have your committee assiduously labored to bring the work 
to its present state. We hope and believe the Society will 
never have cause to regret what they have done. 

And we have established funds, the income of which is 
distributed yearly in premiums. This has been the life of 
the Society; and, the larger the amount at our disposal, 
the more rapidly will the art of Horticulture be promoted, 
and a genuine taste for gardening be encouraged. 

And now let me name, because first, and just at the 
right time, just as we had expended our funds in the build- 
ing of the old hall, came the hberal donation of the vener- 
able merchant, Samuel Appleton, whose many benefac- 
tions to various public institutions will render his name 
honorable, and cause his memory ever to be cherished. 



13 

Next, we have the same generous gift from the pubHc 
spirited and well-known gentleman, the son of one who 
presided at the first formal call to organize the Society, and 
whose name is intimately associated with everything con- 
nected witli the early improvements in horticulture around 
Boston. Need I name John A. Lowell? "Not being 
able," as he says in his letter to the Society, "to actively 
cooperate with you, but wishing to contribute in a moderate 
way, I send you one thousand dollars." May he long be 
spared to witness the good results of his timely aid. 

And now, standing conspicuously in the group of our 
many benefactors, we have another name, not only associ- 
ated with horticulture and agriculture, but with the liner 
art of landscape gardening. Who does not remember the 
once and yet elegant demesne at Waltham, where, years 
gone by, the beautiful deer might be seen bounding o'er 
the lawn, or gently reposing beneath seme graceful elm? 
Need I name Theodore Lyman, Jr. ? who bequeathed to 
us the munificent sum of $10,000, having during his life 
made the same generous gift as those already named. 
His memory will be ever dear to us and our successors. 

And yet we have the aid of that kind-hearted and liberal 
merchant, Josiaii Bradlee, whose aim it was to see the 
effects of his liberality during his own life. Not only was 
his donation of one thousand dollars most gratefully re- 
ceived, but liis many acts of friendship towards the Society, 
in its time of need, are indelibly recorded in our memory. 



14 

Then we have the legacy of one who was among the 
earliest friends of the Society, always an active and honor- 
able member, and for many years one of its Vice Presi- 
dents; whose special and successful culture of one of our 
most valuable fruits has been of great service to pomologi- 
cal progress. The appropriation of the income of the 
French fund to the encouragement of one particular fruit, 
has already been highly beneficial, and the yearly exhibition 
of superior specimens of apples will always remind us of 
his early and later participations in the prominent acts of 
the Society. 

Others among those who have gone from us, and whose 
ashes repose beneath the fragrant turf, or lie beneath the 
shady groves of Mount Auburn, have made us partici- 
pators of their bounty. Each and all will be remembered 
by every member of our association. 

But, gentlemen, there is one at least among the living 
who has given us recently and so liberally, — encouraging 
us by his sympathy and devotion to our interests, — that I 
think I shall not be transgressing the bounds of friendship 
to mention. I refer to H. Hollis Hunnew^ell, whose 
beautiful country residence at Wellesley so many of you 
have seen and admired, and which displays so much taste 
in its arrangement and keeping. His generous gift of 
$2500, just now that we wish to increase rather than 
curtail our premiums, is most opportune. Mr. Hunnewell 
is now absent in Europe; and from these foundations we 



15 

waft across the broad Atlantic our best wishes for his 
health and prosperity, and a safe return to liis home. 

Of other donors it would be a pleasure to speak, but I 
am not permitted to do so. 

But the most colossal edifice which associated wealth 
could erect, though it might be a perpetual monument of 
architectural taste and skill, would be of little avail without 
the aid of a zealous and cooperative association ; and while 
we recount with pride these many benefactions, we ought 
not to forget that to a host of intehigent amateurs and cul- 
tivators — to Cook, Downer, Lowell, Manning, Kenrick, 
WiNSHip, Perkins, Prince, Phinney, Gushing, Vose, 
Walker, Lovett, Harris, Teschemacher, Haggerston, 
Williams, and many others — not to enumerate the liv- 
ing — are we indebted for the invaluable services and un- 
flagging zeal which have given to the Society a renown 
second to no other horticultural association in the world. 

And now, gentlemen, as we are to place beneath this 
granite block the records of what we have already accom- 
plished, with the object of transmitting them to distant gen- 
erations, let us hope that, whenever, at some very remote 
day, when these walls may crumble and decay, — for decay, 
though slow, is the destiny of all earthly things, — and 
these memorials shall come to light, they will at least serve 
to show that the objects of the Society were solely to pro- 
mote all those pursuits which bring pleasure and happiness 
to the social and domestic hfe ; to enrich and embelhsh 
our homes and country; to create a refined taste, and to 



16 

open new and exhaustless sources of instruction and 
wealth. 

With the increased means with which the Hberahty of 
the pubhc have in part endowed us, — the resources from 
the investment now beheved to be so judiciously made, — 
and the greater facilities afforded by this edifice, we shall 
be called upon for fresh exertion, greater activity, and the 
same persistent zeal which have thus far given us a name 
and reputation at home and abroad. 

We feel the responsibility of the task, but an appreciat- 
ing and enlightened public will cheer us on ; and as those 
who have been so prominent in our councils are soon to 
pass away, and the " places which know them shall know 
them no more," may our successors, animated with their 
zeal, stimulated by their example, roused by their energy, 
and enlightened by their knowledge, not only preserve the 
Society in its present flourishing state, but extend its use- 
fulness, increase its popularity, and give it an imperishable 
renown. 



At the close of the Address, the Corner-Stone was laid by 
the President, who was presented with an elegantly burnished 
steel trowel for the occasion. 

An appropriate prayer was then offered by the Rev. Dr. 
LoTHROP, Chaplain. 

The whole audience then joined in singing Old Hundred, 
after which, the ceremonies were concluded with a Benediction. 



APPENDIX, 



APPENDIX. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE BOX, PLATE, AND OTHER ARTICLES, DE- 
POSITED UNDER THE CORNER-STONE OF THE NEW HALL. 

The l)ox is made of zine, and twelve inclies long-, ten wide, 
and four deep. In the box the annexed list of articles are 
enclosed : 

1. A Silver Plate, measurino- eight inches long and six 
wide, upon which the following is engraved : 

THIS EDIFICE IS ERECTED 



For the purpose of encouraging and improving the 
Science and Practice of Horticulture, 

And this Corner-Stone laid, August 18, 1864, 

BY THE PRESIDENT, 

CHARLES M. HOVEY. 



C. M. HovEY, 

JOSIAH StICKNEY, 

M. p. Wilder, 

C. O. WlIITMORE, 

W. R. AusTix, 



Building Committee: 

h. h. hunnewell, 
Joseph S. Cabot, 
J. F. C. Hyde, 
L. Wetiierell. 



Architects : 
Gridley J. F. Bryant and Arthur Oilman. 

To this Society the community are indebted for the foundation 
and consecration of Mount Auburn Cemetery. 



20 

Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 

Incorporated the 12 day of June, A. D. 1829. 

Present number of members, six hundred eighty. 

President, 

CHARLES M. HOVEY. 

Vice Presidents, 

J. F. C. Hyde, C. O. Wiiitmore, 

H. HoLLis HuxxEWELL, W. C. Stroxg. 

Treasurer, 

William R. Austix. 

Corresponding Secretary, Kecording Secretary, 

Ebex. Wight. F. Lymax Wixsiiir. 

2. Proceedings of the Society, from 1843 to 1864. 

3. Publications of the Society, containing its History, &c., 
by Gen. Dearborn. 

4. Boston Ahnanac for 1804. 

5. Catalogue of Proprietors of Mount Auburn Cemetery. 

G. Copies of Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture for 1864, 
containing Reports of Building Committee. 

7. Copy of Fruits of America. 

8, Boston newspapers of August 18. 
0. Silver Medal of the Society. 

10. Bronze Medal. 

11. Appleton Bronze Medal. 

12. Coins of the United States, dollar, half dollar, and smal- 
ler, of the date of 1864. 

Beneath the box was placed the box, with its contents entire, 
which was taken from beneath the Corner-Stone of the old Hall 
in School Street. 

Both boxes were placed in a cavity in the first vermiculated 
stone, at the north-west corner of the 1)uilding, on Tremont 
Street and Montgomery Place. 



21 



REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. 

At a quarterly meeting of the Society, held January 2, 18G4, 
on motion of C O. Whitmore, a Committee of Nine, of which 
the Pre.sident should be Chairman, was a])pointed to consider 
the expediency of erecting a building on the Montgomery 
House estate, and report the probable cost of the same. 

The Phesidext, 

JosiAH Stickney, 

C. O. Whitmore, 

M. P. WiLDEK, 

J. S. Cabot, 
W, 11. Austin, 

II. H. HUXXEAVELL, 

J. F. C. Hyde, and 
L. Wetherell, 
were nominated and unanimously chosen. 

At the meeting of the Society, February 6th, the Building 
Committee made the following Report : 

The Committee to whom was referred the subject of the ex- 
pediency of erecting a building on the Montgomery House 
estate, recently purchased by the Society, and the probable 
expense of the same, have attended to that duty, and submit 
the following Report : 

Your Committee consider the subject referred to them of 
very great importance to the Society, and they have endeavored 
to give it the thorough deliberation and investigation its impor- 
tance demands. A portion of the Committee having previously 
examined the subject and made a general report, they were 
desirous that other gentlemen, fresh from the Society, should 
cooperate with them, and carefully examine the whole question 
of building, and give such an opinion as would enable every 
member to cast a satisfactory vote when brought before the 
Society. 



22 

Your Committee believe it is for the permanent interest of 
the Society to proceed with the erection of a building, if it can 
be done within its means, or with safety as an investment of its 
funds. The question of time is one which they ha^e given 
much attention, and looking at it in all its aspects, thev feel 
assured, with such a plan as they have had prepared, should it 
meet the Avishes and approval of the Society, a building can be 
erected at a reasonably enhanced price, without detriment to its 
present interests or future welfare, afford a good income upon 
the outlay, and, what is of most importance, place the Society 
in the possession of a hall of its own, where it can accommodate 
all the exhibitions, weekly or annual — a building that shall be 
an ornament to our city, "a fitting testimonial of our liberal- 
ity''' — ami one which Avill enable us to carry forward the great 
objects of its founders, viz.: "Encoviraging and improving the 
science of horticulture." 

At an early stage of the action of the Society, a committee 
of five Avas chosen to purchase a suitable site Avithin certain 
limits ; and that committee, desirous of serving the interests 
and forwai'dlng the objects of the Society, which they believed 
to be to secure a handsome and appropriate building, selected 
the Montgomery House estate, and had plans and estimates 
prepared by G. J. F. Bryant, Esq., placed before them and the 
Society. This plan has l)een taken as the basis of another, now 
about to be submitted for your consideration. No A'ote was 
taken upon it by the old Committee, and its internal arrange- 
ments were not especially criticised or debated, as the time had 
not then arrived for such action. It Avas simply an idea of the 
style of building, in its architectural proportions and general 
beauty. Estimates Avere, howevei-, made, shoAving that it could 
have been erected In 1862 for 185,000. 

This plan has been materially and essentially altered in its 
interior arrangements, while Its exterior character has been pre- 
served, and, it is confidently hoped, its architectural proportions 
improved, its fitness augmented, and its beauty of design much 
enhanced. It is noAv presented, Avith the full belief that, afiter 
much study, it comes as near as possible to the Avants and 



23 

vcquiremcnts of tlic Sock'ty, both as regards Its own iis(\s 
and tliat C(inally important one of Income. It has had the hjng 
attention and deliberation of some of th(^ Committee, and is 
oficred with the liope and expectation that it will be satisfactory 
to all. 

The plan herewith presented contains a larger and smaller 
hall ; the former suited to the Opening, Hose, and Aimnal Ex- 
hibitions, or any exhibitions the Society may wish to make; 
and the latter admirably adapted to its weekly and ordinary 
shows. On the second floor, the meeting room, library room, 
and committee rooms connect with the smaller hall, with a rear 
entrance from Montgomery Place for exhiliitors, and a conveni- 
ent room for ])reparing plants and fruits for exhibition. The 
large hall occupies the third floor, and the space of the entire 
building, accessible by tAvo broad flights of stairs, from the 
rotunda, and also a rear entrance from Montgomery Place, and 
the same acconnnodations for exhibitors as the hall beneath. It 
will be a lofty and magnificent hall, with a gallery at one end 
and a stage at the other, and will be lighted from the sides and 
top. Its area will be about 4000 feet. The street floor contains 
two large stores on Tremont Street and four on Bromfield 
Street, with three basement stores beneath. 

Your Conunittee do not think it necessary to enter into any 
particular description of the exterior design of the l)uilding. 
The various drawings of the fi'ont and side fa9ades, as well as 
the perspective view, now placed before you for your Inspection 
and approval, relieve them of that duty. The style is that now 
generally adopted in modern Enrope, for most of the public 
edifices of this character, and from Its graceful proportions, har- 
monious expression, and adaptability to general use, appeal's best 
suited to the requirements of the Society, while It affords the 
best evidence of our appreciation of architectural beauty. 

The material selected by your Conunittee is the Concord 
white granite, which, for its tone of color and durability, pre- 
eminently fit It for the style and purpose of such a structure. 
The best example of this material, of recent erection, is the new 
City Hall, and one of much earlier date, the house of David 



Sears, E.sq., on Beacon Street, the latter best illustrating its 
wear and appearance after the lapse of nearly half a century- 

The entire cost of the erection of the building, according to 
the estimates of Mr. Br^'ant, made to your Committee and pro- 
cured from responsible parties, and shice revised, will not ex- 
ceed $102,500, and v.dien the oiFers are open to competition he 
believes it will be reduced. When your Committee take into 
consideration the greatly enhanced value of its stocks, over that 
of 1862, this excess over the estimates of the first plan is far 
more favoral^le than they were led to anticipate. 

The income of the building, according to the best judgment 
of yoiu- Connnittee, and obtahied by careful enquiry of the 
income of property in the immediate vicinity, will be ftilly equal 
to six per centum per annum on the entire cost of the invest- 
ment. 

To meet the cost of the erection of the building, your Com- 
mittee herewith annex a statement of the assets of the Society 
available for that piu'pose, very carefully and accurately pre- 
pared by your Treasurer, and believed to be correct, amounting 
to 1100,054 on the 23d January last. 

To meet the payment of the mortgages upon the estate, pay- 
able in twenty years from September 1, 1863, it is proposed by 
your Committee to recommend to the Society, immediately 
upon the completion of the building, the creation of a sinking 
fund, which shall meet its liabilities in 1883. This proposition 
is 10 lay aside every year 83500 from the income of Mount 
Auburn, which will, with interest, amount in sixteen years to 
$98,745. 

The deep interest which will be created by the erection of a 
new building, it is believed by your Committee, will greatly 
increase the niuiiber of members ; and the income from this 
source and its exhibitions will probably be sufficient to pay the 
ordinary expenses of the Society ; and should this hope be real- 
ized, a larger sum can be added to the sinking fund, should the 
Society so direct, which will enable it, should the opportunity 
offer, Avhich it is thought possible it may, to pay off some of the 
mortgages (being made to six parties) before the period of their 



25 



expiration, or leave to the Society a miicli larger sum to en- 
courage the objects to which it is especially devoted. 

Your Committee cannot here omit to contrast the present 
condition of the Society with its condition in 1843, when it 
decided to purchase the old Latin Schoolhousc in School Street, 
for the sum of -$18,000. With only |15,000 of available funds 
for the purpose, it then almost unanimously voted to erect a 
building upon the site, which, with the land, Avould cost about 
5^40,000. If the attempt to build now can be termed a hazard- 
ous enterprise, with its increased means, much larger number of 
members, and the fiir greater general })ublic taste for horticult- 
ure and rural art, what nuist the action of the Societv have 
been deemed in 1843 ? Its prospective income could not then be 
considered, at the outside, at more than |i2o00, and the income 
from the btulding less than five per centum ; and to carry for- 
ward the work it was necessary to execute a mortgage for 
$15,000, besides the use of all the income from Mt. Auburn 
for four years. Yet it went on prosperously, meeting all its lia- 
bilities promptly, distributing very liberally of its means for the 
encouragement of Horticulture and Pomological Science, and, 
thanks to those who labored so faithfully, we are now receiving 
the benefits of the sound judgment and foresight, united with 
the zeal and energy of those avIio laid the foundation of our 
success, and gave to the Society extended influence and the 
means of far greater usefulness. 

In conclusion, your CVjmmittee would advise the innnediate 
erection of a building worthy of that art and science which is 
hencefjrth to be its home, and spread therefrom its benign influ- 
ence throughout the land. 

Who that treads the shady paths and winding avenues, or 
reclines beneath the sacred groves of that garden of graves, the 
inception of the founders of the Society — or surveys the broad 
expanse of cultivated coimtry now reaching to the Pacific, 
teeming with rich fruits and beautifid flowers, would Avish, with 
the means at our command, and the known public spirit, to 
erect a lesser monument to the triumphs of civilization. 



26 

IIow consoling the reflection that, when we have finished our 
earthly work, and our ashes repose beneath the green turf and 
leafy bowers of Mt. Auburn, this elegant building shall be the 
('nduring memento of the intelligence and wisdom Avhich formed 
that sacred garden of the dead, away from the busy haunts of 
the living. In this temple, dedicated to the elegant art of hor- 
ticulture we shall transmit to our successors a record of our 
earnest labors to accomplish the two-fold task of decorating and 
l>eautifying our homes while living, and of adorning and conse- 
crating our homes in death. 

Entertaining these views your Committee Avould recommend 
the passage of the following Resolutions : 

liesolved, That the present Committee be constituted a Build- 
ing ('Ommittee, and that they be, and are hereby authorized 
and directed to proceed with the erection of a building on the 
Montgomery House estate, recently purchased by the Society, 
according to the plans, specifications, and estimates, prepared 
by Gridley J. F. Bryant, Esq., approved by the Committee, 
and now submitted to the Society, and that they have full 
})ower to enter into and make all contracts and agreements, in 
the name of the Society, necessary for the erection and comple- 
tion of said building. 

Resolved^ That the Committee now having in charge the 
Montgomery House estate be authorized and directed to termi- 
nate the present lease on the first of May next. 

C. M. HOVEY, 
JOSIAH StICKNEY, 

Marshall P. Wildee, 
C. O. Whitmore, 
Wm. R. Austin, 
H. H. Hunnewell, 
James F. C. Hyde, 
Leander Wetherell, 
Joseph S. Cabot, 

Committee on Building. 
Boston, Feb. Gth, 1864. 



27 

]Mr. A". Mattliews moved as a substitute, in tlic place of the 
Coininittce's resolutions, tlie following, which was unanimously 
:i(l(>[)t(Ml : 

riiat tlic whole matter of erectinfr a buiklinc; be referred to 
the Conunittee, with full power to make such alterations in the 
))lans and specifications as may suggest themselves, under the 
superintendence of the architect, Mr. G. J. F. Bryant, and at a 
«!ost not exceeding the sum of $105,000. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 

The new Ilall of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 
occupies a central and commanding position on Tremont 
Street, between Bromfield Street and Montgomery Place. A 
cellar story, partially finished into apartments as a basement, 
covers the whole area of the estate, and includes also, all the 
area beneath the sidewalks, in front of the se^'eral facades of 
the building. This story is sub-divided into six apartments, 
two of which are cellars beneath, and connected with the two 
front stores on Tremont Street. Three others are designed for 
stores or mechanical workshops, while the sixth apartment is 
appropriated as an engine and boiler room for the heating ap- 
paratus, and with ample accommodations for the necessary fuel. 
An easy staircase in tlie north-east corner of this story, com- 
municates with the stories above, as well as with the entrance 
doorway on that side, from Montgomery Place. Beneath the 
sidewalk pavement, on this side, are locate<l the lavatories, 
water closets, and urinals, for the use of the occupants of the 
basement, and of the stores above. All the apartments of the 
basement are entered from the Bromfield Street front, by flights 
of steps, and all are amply lighted by upright windows in the 
external walls, and by Hyatt lights, to be located in the side- 
walks of all the streets. 



28 

The first, or street story, is siib-dividod into the same niimher 
of compartments as those above described in the basement, and 
consists entirely of shops or stores, two of which front on Tre- 
mont Street, with light on the front, and on one side of each 
store, wliile the remaining four all entered from Bromfiekl 
Street, and are lighted both in front and rear of each. The 
staircase, commenced in the basement, is continued up tliroiigh 
this story, and is accessible from the JMontgomery Place side of 
the building. The front or main staircase, 10 feet in width, is 
carried up between the two stores on Tremont Street. 

The second story contains one of the Exhibition Halls, span- 
ning the widtli of the estate, and lighted by three large windows 
in each of its two sides. Besides this hall, there are four 
apartments to the west of it, receiving light from the three sides 
of the building, and communicating with each other, and with 
a square lobby, containing three noble flights of stairs. One of 
these flights leads up from the principal front entrance on Tre- 
mont Street, and the two others are for connection with the 
third story, which contains the principal hall of the building. 
Of the foiu- apartments on the front of this story, the two which 
extend across the whole of the Tremont Street front, are for the 
puqjoses of a Library, and of Superintendent's and Treasurer's 
oflfice, and are connected by wide folding doors, so as to be 
thrown into one, when necessary. Connected y\'h\\ these two 
front rooms, are the two smaller rooms, located betAveen the 
front rooms and the Hall, and occupying all the remaining space 
of this floor not devoted to lobby and staircases. From one of 
these smaller rooms, opens a water-closet and lavatoiy, intended 
for the use of the officers of the Society. To the east of the 
Hall on this second story, and placed between it and the ex- 
treme east wall of the estate, on the Bromfield Street side, there 
is an apartment of suitable size to be used as an ante-room, and 
corresponding in area with the staircase hall on tlie other side, 
through which runs iip the continuation of the staircases of the 
two stories beneath, and accessible from Montgomery Place. 
Between these two is formed a recess for the stage or platform 
at the upper end of the hall, and a passageway in the rear of 



29 

tliis recess connects the ante-room witli tlie private staireaf^e just 
described. All the apartments on tliis story are abundantly 
lighted, In the three exterior walls, by windows of liberal di- 
mensions and pleasing proportion. 

The third or upper story is mainly devoted to a ])rln('l]ial 
Exhibition ITall, extending over nearly its whole area, inasmuch 
as it not only spans the whole width of the estate, but occupies, 
M"ith its lobby entrances and stair landings, the whole length of 
the entire property — with the exception of an ante-room, private 
staircase, and passageway of comminilcation In the rear, the 
same as those already described on the story underneath. On 
account of the greater height on this floor, this arrangement 
of stairway, passage and ante-room is also duplicated in a 
secondary or half story, Introduced above the one just named ; 
the two occupying together, only the height of the larger Hall. 
The hjbby entrances and stair landings at the front or west end 
of the l)ullding, as well as that portion of the area of the large 
hall lying between these lobbies, are constructed so as to be ten 
feet in height, and over them all is a Gallery of the whole 
width of the Hall, and entered from one of the landings l)y a 
flight of Gallery stairs, placed in the south-west corner of the 
building. 

Each of the two halls. In the second and third stories, con- 
tains a statre at its eastern end, accessible from the ante-rooms, 
and from the rear or private staircase at that end of the Hall. 

The amount of interior area and accommodation aflbrded by 
the several floors of the building, will perhaps be better under- 
stood by the following schedule of the number, designation, and 
dimensions of the halls, apartments, &c., to wit: 

15ASEMENT STORY. 

Store No. 1 is 18.4 in width by 50.0 in length. 

" " 2 " 18.4 " " " 50.9 '' " 
" 3 " 18.4 " " " 51.2 '^ 
Cellar " 1 '' 25.0 " " " 41.8 " " 

" " 2 " 25.0 " " " 44.0 " " 
Engine and Boiler Eoom 14. G by 36.8, 



30 

These stores vary in height, conforming to the grade of 
Bromfield Street. 

FIRST OR STREET STORY. 

Store No. 4 is 25.0 in width by 41.9 in length. 
u n. g u 25.0 " " '■'' 44.0 "■ " 
" " 6 " 18.4 " " " 50.6 " " 

" 7 " 18.4 " " " 50.3 " 
" " 8 " 18.4 " " " 50.8 " 
Room for Storage 15.0 hy 36.9. 
These stores also vary in heiglit, from 14 feet, least, to 18.| 
feet, greatest height, according to the grade. 

SECOND STORY. 

Hall, 51 feet by 57 feet. 

Ante-Room, 12.0 " '' 13.9 " 
Stage Recess, 9.9 " " 23.9 " 

Two Rooms for officers of the Association, 18.6 x 20.6 and 
20.9 X 30.6, respectively. 

The heig-ht of these rooms is 17 feet in the clear. 

THIRD STORY. 

Large Hall, 50.6 by 77.9, height 26 feet. 

Stage Recess, 9.9 " 23.9 

Lobby, 11.0 " 25.0 

Ante-room in rear of Hall, 12.0 x 13.9, with another room of 
corresponding dimensions in the half story above. 

The interior of the two halls is of a style of finish and deco- 
ration which accords with the external character of the edifice 
in every respect. The lower or smaller hall is fini.-hed with 
pilasters of the Ionic order, sustaining beams on the ceiling, by 
which it is divided into panelled compartments, — the walls 
being decorated also with panelling, disposed in suitable divi- 
sions. The upper hall has a graceful coved ceiling, resting on a 
deep Ionic cornice with modillions, — the face of the pilasters 
carrying the same being enriched with Arabesque festoons, 
modelled in high relief. The walls are dadoed up as high as 



31 

tlie sillj; of the Avindows, and the doorways leading to aiitt'- 
rooms and staircase are ornamented with rich architraves wiih 
pediniented lieads. The panels between the cross-beams on tlie 
ceilings, are ornamented with bold mouldings, and a\ ith drops at 
the intersections. The effect of the whole when completed will 
be rich and attractive, and the hall will doubtless be greatly iii 
request for concerts, lectures, and other public occasions recpiii- 
ing a central and convenient locality. 

The external style and appearance of the building are of a 
dignified and monumental character, and well calculated for 
imposing effect. The front extends 55 feet, on Tremont Street. 
and Is divided into three general divisions, or bays. The centre 
of these is decorated with an order of coupled columns, re- 
peated in i)ilasters, behind, and carried through the three 
stories — Doric in the lowest, Ionic in the second, and Corinth- 
ian in the third or upper story. A rich composed cornice 
crowns the whole facade, surmounted by a central attic, as a 
pedestal for a superb figure of Ceres, cut in white granite, from 
the celebrated antique in the Vatican, as given in the Jluseo 
Pio Clementino^ p. 27. The angles of the front are decorated 
with projecting piers, cut with rich, vermiculated quoins, and 
forming bases at the top of the entrance story for two other 
figures, one of Pomona, and one of Flora, the latter copied fi'om 
the renowned Flora Farnese at Naples. These elegant works 
of art form, it is believed, the first examples of statuary of a 
high order of excellence ever placed in similar positions in this 
country. 

The style displa}ed in this costly and elegant design is one 
which, it is believed, accords well with the character and 
requirements of such a structure. It will at once be recognized 
by all those conversant with such matters, as the prevailin«>- 
method of modern Europe; a style, which the taste of the 
presejit Emperor of France, in particular, has so largely illus- 
trated in most of the modern works of the French capital. 
From its great intrinsic beauty, not less than from its extreme 
readiness of adaptation to the wants and uses of the present 
day, it lias attained, under the general title of the Renaissance, 



32 

universal popularity in Europe, and in the cliief cities of our 
own country. Derived originally fi'om Italian sources, and par- 
ticularly from the later edifices of the Venetian Republic, it has 
now been so successfully naturalized elsewhere as to have 
become the prevailing manner for most of those important pub- 
lic edifices, which are destined to be regarded as the best archi- 
tectural records of our time, by posterity. A situation so 
prominent as that of the Horticultural Hall, certainly demands 
a graceful and harmonious style of design, and it is hoped 
that the Iniilding now in process of erection will stand as a 
fair memorial of our present advancement in architectural 
knowledge and taste. 

IMessrs. G. J. F. Bryant and Arthur Oilman, architects, and 
superintendents of the erection of the building, are so well 
known, as gentlemen of experience and taste, that any commen- 
dation would be superfluous. They have made all the internal 
arrangements, agreeably to the views and requirements of the 
Committee, and the external character of the edifice will show 
their taste in harmony of details, beauty of proportion, and 
general expression of design. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



022 267 452 9 • 



